Gate-operating mechanism.



No. 791,163. PATENTED MAY 30, 1905. W. R. & R. PITT;

GATE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. so. 1904 2 SEE SHEET 1.

3 I I M i fly 4' e r j i HHHII 50 O l :DUK I 11 0 j, g

PATENTED MAY 30, 1905. 4 W. R. & R. PITT.

GATE OPERATING MECHANISM.

. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 1904- -2 sums-sum 2.

MM. *1 I I WITNESSES:

AMMM ATTORNEY UNITED STATES Patented May 30, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. PITT AND RAFFORD PITT, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORSTO THE PITT OAR GATE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GATE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. telnet, dated May30,1905.

Application filed' December 30, 1904. Serial No. 238,893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM R. PITT and RAFFORD PITT, citizens of theUnited States,

and residents of New Rochelle, in the county of Westchester and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGate-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in the mechanism for opening andclosing swinging gates, and more particularly the mechanism for openingand closing gates that are pivotally supported upon the free ends ofswinging arms. In gates of the character referred to difiiculty isusually found in maintaining the gate securely in open or closedposition, as the case may be. Various locking devices have beenemployed, but none with entire satisfaction, since they are either socomplicated as to require some special handling from the operator inorder to release the gate when it is desired to reverse its position orelse they do not entirely prevent motion of the gate when pressure isexerted upon it.

connecting-rod between the angle-lever and the crank-arm, of lockingdevices consisting of shoulders projecting from said connectingrod andadapted alternately to engage fric tionally with the framework of thegate when the angle-lever is moved alternately to its extreme positionsin the opening or closing of Our inventlon 1s shown in theaccompanyopen.

ing drawings, in which similar letters refer to similar parts.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a car-gate in its closed position, theview being taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction ofthe arrow. Fig. 2 is aview of a similar car-gate in full open positionand held by our locking device. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. ti is an enlarged detail view of a lockingdevice'or catch, showing the same in a locked position when the gate isclosed. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a catch, showing the partsin a locked position when the gate is Fig. 6 is an enlargedcross-section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

We show our invention as applied to a gate arranged to close theentrance to an exit side of a car-platformsuch, for example, as is incommon use where a passage-way between successive cars of a train isprovided for by means of an opening through the central portion of thedashboard of each car. We have furthermore shown our invention inconnection with a gate of skeleton form extending throughout a portiononly of the height of the space to be closed; but we wish it to beunderstood that the gate might be of other than skeleton form, and itmight be extended upwardly and downwardly at pleasure to form a door, ifso desired.

We have shown our invention as applied to gates pivotally supported onswinging arms and otherwise similar to the gates shown and described inpatent to William R. Pitt, No.

,655,891; but our invention is not confined to gates supported andoperated as there shown, but may be applied to any swinging gates inwhich the opening mechanism is operated by an angle-lever and the motionis transmitted proximity to the corner-post D of the carplatform in sucha manner as to permit the spindle to rotate.

To the spindle C is fixed acrank-arm 0, having its free end pivotallyconnected by an operating-rod E with the arm 6 of a bell-crank lever orother angle-lever pivoted at e to a suitable fixed support on thedashboard P of the car and provided with an operating-handle e forrocking it on its support.

K is a flange or shoulder depending from the connecting-rod E.

K is a corresponding part of a flange rigidly attached to one of thetransverse bars of the gate and projecting upwardly therefrom in such aposition as and being adapted to engage with the fiange K when the gateis in its full-open position and the connecting-rod is lowered so thatthe flanges K and K overlap.

L is another flange or shoulder depending from the connecting-rod E andadapted to abut against and engage with a projection from the edge ofthe gate or, preferably, with the slide f, hereinafter described, whenthe gate is in its full-closed position and the connecting-rod islowered by moving the anglelever to its extreme upper position, as shownin Fig. 1.

The heel end of the gate is caused to traverse a predetermined path-inthe present instance along or in close proximity to the dashboard--bymeans of afixed track F, secured to the dashboard, and aslide f, pivotedor hinged to the heel end of the gate. This slide is similar to the oneshown and performing a like function in the said Patent N 0. 655,891;but we add to the slide an antifriction-rollerm, projectingthroughaslotain the slide f and taking against the fixed track F and theheel edge of the gate and said roller being pivotally supported oneither side of the slot at in the slide f. When the gate is fullyclosed, the slide f abuts against a stop 0 on the end of the track F.The shoulder or flange L is so located and shaped as that when theconnecting-rod E is lowered by moving the operating-handle e to itsextreme upper position, as shown in Fig. 1, the shoulder L drops behindand engages frictionally with the upper member of the slide f. Theconnection of the operating-rod E with the bell-crank lever is such thatwhen the gate is in its closed position, Figs. 1 and 3, the arm 0 of thebell-crank lever and the connecting-rod E will be a little past centerwith respect to the fulcrum of the bell-crank lever. Astop e is providedto arrest the movement of the angle-lever just after it carries theoperatingrod E past the center with respect to the fulcrum of the lever.When the angle-lever has been moved, so that the arm 6 takes against thestop 0 the connecting rod E will be lowered, so that the shoulder Ltakes against the slide f, as heretofore described, andthe position ofthe connecting-rod E and arm a with respect to the fulcrum a, as justdescribed, will prevent the connecting-rod E from being raised byaccident, and consequently will prevent the shoulder L from beingdislodged, so that the gate will be firmly locked in its closedposition. hen the operator desires to open the gate, the movementoutward of the operating-handle a will raise the connecting-arm,disengage the shoulder L from the slidef', and the gate will open in theusual manner. Sim ilarly when the gate is in its full-open positionyasshown in Figs. 2, 5, and 6, the movement of the angle-lever to itsextreme low position will cause the flange K to overlap and engagefrictionally with the corresponding flange k, projecting upward from oneof the cross-bars of the gate. For similar reasons to those stated abovethis catch thus formed cannot be disengaged by any accidental means andwill hold the gate firmly fixed in an open position, yet at the sametime the upward movement of the operating-handle of the angle-lever willraise the connecting-rod, disengage the catch, and permit the gate toclose.

e have shown K as made in one part with the connecting-rod; but this isnot essential, as it might be a separate piece, riveted or otherwiseattached to the connecting-rod, nor is the flange-like shape essential,since a shoulder or any projecting piece of such shape as to engage witha corresponding portion projecting from the gate would answer all thepurposes of our invention. Similar remarks may be made as to theshoulder L, which might be attached in any suitable way to theconnecting-rod E and be of any suitable shape or size capable ofengaging with the slide f or with a suitable shoulder projecting fromthe gate itself.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. The combination with a swinging gate suitably supported, anangle-lever, and a connecting-rod having one end pivoted to the arm ofthe angle-lever and its other end pivotally connected with suitableoperating mechanism; of locking devices consisting of shouldersprojecting from said connecting-rod and adapted alternately to engagefrictionally with the framework of the gate when the anglelever isrevolved to its extreme positions on the opening or closing of the gate,substantially as described.

2. The combination with a gate, swinging arms forming a support for andhaving a pivotal connection with the gate, a spindle to which theswinging arms are secured, a crankarm secured to said spindle, anangle-lever and a connecting-rod between the angle-lever and. thecrank-arm; of locking devices consisting of shoulders projecting fromsaid connectingrod and adapted alternately to engage frictionally withthe framework of the gate when the angle-lever is moved alternately toits extreme positions in the opening or'clo'sing of the gate,substantially as described.

3. The combination with a gate, swingingengaged and disengaged as thegate isopened or closed by lowering the connecting-rod by the movementof the angle-lever alternately to its extreme positions, substantiallyas described.

4. The combination with a gate, swinging arms forming a support for andhaving pivotal connection with the gate, a spindle to which theswingingarms are secured, a crankarm secured to said spindle, an angle-lever anda connecting-rod between the angle-lever and the crank-arm, a slidepivoted or hinged to one edge of the gate, and a fixed track on whichthe slide moves back and forth; of locking devices consisting ofshoulders projecting from said connecting-rod and adapted to engagealternately with said slide and with a flange projecting from the gateas the gate is closed or opened, such engagement being frictional andthe locking parts being engaged and disengaged through the lowering orraising of the connecting-rod by the angle-lever as the same is moved inthe operation of opening and closing the gate, substantially asdescribed.

WILLIAM R. PITT. R'AFFORD PITT.

Witnesses:

' E. T. SANFORD, H. M. (homes.

